nning in a crystal glass, and I've seen the
end in a pool of ink in a slave's hand. I've seen mankind begin lower
nor the gibbering ape, and I've seen them end the shining sons of God.
Millions on millions on millions of years, multiplied unto dizziness,
crawling, infinitesimal work overcoming nature, overcoming themselves,
overcoming the princes of the powers of darkness, one of whom I am.
But this is too deep for you, Marco Polo.

"Now you can go on your way without hindrance from me, Marco Polo,
because of the memory of an old time, when the courting of a woman was
more to me than the killing of a man, when beauty meant more nor power.

"Let you be on your way, Marco Polo, while I sit here a lonely old man,
with wee, soft ghosts whispering to him. Let you be hastening on your
way before I remember I am a prince of the powers of darkness and
should do you harm..."

CHAPTER IX

And so they went on eastward, ever eastward, and the moons were born,
grew, waned, and died...

They passed through Khotan, where the divers bring up jade from the
rivers, white jade and black jade, and green jade veined with gold.
They passed through Carnal, the shameful city, whose women are fair and
wanton, whose men are cuckolds. And they passed through the province
of Chitingolos, where are the mountains of the Salamanders. They passed
through the city of Campicha, where there are more idols than men. And
they passed through the great city of Samarkand, where the Green Stone
is on which Timur's throne was set... And were born and died...

They passed through Tangut, where the men will not carry the dead out
through the door of a house, but must break a hole in the wall. And
they passed through Kialehta, where there are snow-white camels. And
they passed through the lands of Prester John.

And now they were in the Tatar lands. There passed them lowing musk
oxen. There passed them the wild asses of Mongolia. There passed them
the barbarians, with their great tents on wheels. There passed them
the black-jowled, savage, idolaters. There passed them the pretty
white-faced women. There passed them huge, abominable dogs.

And they came to the town of Lob, and a new moon arose, and they
entered the Desert of the Singing Sands.

CHAPTER X

Wherever they went now was sand, and a dull haze that made the sun look
like a copper coin. And a great silence fell on the caravan, and
nothing was heard but the crunch of the camel